


Phantom Thieves of Hearts in KNB

by Shoichee (crispytofu)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, Persona 5
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Crushes, Enemies to Lovers, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crispytofu/pseuds/Shoichee
Summary: A collection of headcanons on how KNB characters find out you were a member of the Phantom Thieves + what they do afterwards.
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou/Reader, Aomine Daiki/Reader, Hanamiya Makoto/Reader, Kise Ryouta/Reader, Kiyoshi Teppei/Reader, Kuroko Tetsuya/Reader, Midorima Shintarou/Reader, Momoi Satsuki/Reader, Murasakibara Atsushi/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Kuroko Tetsuya

**Author's Note:**

> These are standalone headcanon chapters for each character! Feel free to browse through this work for the character(s) you're looking for!
> 
> Warning: these headcanons do have spoilers from both series, so proceed with caution if you're not finished with either franchise; I WILL put warnings ahead in the appropriate chapters!

  * you two started dating for a while, but recently, Kuroko began to notice out how you always seem to weasel your way out of group hangouts or turn down after school dates with him or just altogether _disappeared_ without a trace/word
  * “Um, do you want to eat together at Maji Burger after school today?”
  * “Wahhh! I’m so sorry, Tetsu!” you hugged your boyfriend with regret before declining. “I already have plans today…”
  * or that one time when school ended and right when he turned to ask you if you wanted to walk home together, you were just… gone
  * you were becoming a Kuroko and he was worried
  * he tried to ask you about your behaviors but you always brushed him off or deflected the subject elsewhere
  * while he figured that he should wait before you were ready to tell him, he grew antsier as you grew busier and busier and had no time left for the two of you to hang out beyond just class
  * one day he decided to follow you using his lack of presence and unknowingly walked into the metaverse along with you
  * but he then sees your attire changed,
  * then some other people in costumes,
  * and weird _monsters_ —
  * he was just standing behind a pillar the entire time and was waiting for the perfect time to go and confront you when you and the strange group encountered a hostile group of shadows and started battling like pros
  * his eyes were on you the entire time like: 👁🕳👁
  * you were so graceful, yet so fierce, and so _badass_ —
  * after the whole battle, he sneaked up to you and tapped your shoulder for you to whirl around in complete shock
  * the other PT members were just as baffled about where he came from
  * _Ryuji: “Quick, he’s an effin’ enemy shadow!”_
  * _Ann: “Ugh, Ryuji! Be quiet!”_
  * _Futaba: “Stuuuuupid, if he was a shadow I would’ve already alerted everyone.”_
  * after Kuroko explains how he came over because he was worried about you as your boyfriend, everyone was gushing ( _Ryuji was salty that he doesn’t have a girlfriend still, and Yusuke was elated to have found his next art models_ )
  * after being sworn to secrecy and lowkey threatened by Haru and Makoto, Kuroko supports you from the shadows (ha ha, get it?)
  * he asks Riko to teach him how to do massages so he can massage your sore muscles after a rough metaverse run
  * it gives him more excuses to be with you and touch you and pamper you to his heart’s content
  * ~~he may or may not have used massage times as an excuse to cuddle and smooch your neck and back~~
  * he sometimes asks you what his own “heart” looks like, and you assure him that he doesn’t have a palace because he’s the purest being ever
  * he pays more attention to the news regarding the PT and gets _really_ worried when even the _politicians_ get involved (you had to reassure him constantly)
  * he vibes super well with Joker because they’re the silent protagonists™️ with a sassy streak sometimes
  * he definitely bullies Ryuji, I can _feel_ it
  * you actually teach him some of your own signature moves to help Kuroko develop new trump cards in future games (especially against Touou Academy)
  * he teaches you how to diminish your presence to sneak up on shadows even better than Joker’s ambushing




	2. Kyoshi Teppei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: spoilers for the Seirin vs. Kirisaki Daiichi game

  * this sweet man is so attentive to you and your needs, even if you didn’t ask _anything_ of him
  * so when you came to watch the game between Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi, you were _livid_
  * _he did not deserve this_
  * even if you hated to watch the game, you stayed until the end, and after, you rushed to the lockers to check up on him
  * “Teppei! You idiot!” you were already tearing up. “You’re okay, right?”
  * you were holding his limbs and checking out all the wounds he was sporting
  * even when your boyfriend assured you, it went in one ear out the other
  * _you were boiling in anger_
  * he pinched your cheek
  * “I’m okay, (y/n).”
  * you grumbled and hesitatingly dropped the subject but that didn’t mean you wanted to drop the matter entirely
  * _especially_ since you had the power to change other people’s hearts and their actions
  * but you didn’t want to bring it up to your PT members, since at first seemed more of a personal problem within the basketball matches rather than a widespread societal problem
  * that is, until Ryuji brought up that their own school’s basketball team got extremely roughed up and injured a couple weeks ago, but there were finally news of it coming out because the school tried to keep it quiet (but several students finally leaked the news out)
  * you then tentatively brought up about Seirin’s recent match
  * all of you guys did further research on the Kirisaki Daiichi basketball team’s history and you all found out how every basketball team they went against had their aces severely injured or taken out
  * **time to change some hearts**
  * mainly, the _Kirisaki Daiichi_ starter players
  * luckily for you, Riko ordered Teppei to stay home for at least a few days to rest up before coming back to school, so you were free to do some thievery
  * you still visited Teppei’s home once or twice and brought snacks and balms (his grandparents love you)
  * so off the Phantom Thieves went, and you guys all went to work changing five hearts back to back
  * _holy shit_ , their shadows in Mementos were just as brutal, all of them having their own special foul play or bad attitudes in some type of way even in combat (Yamazaki was the one who didn’t use foul play, but he had brute strength)
  * the PT succeeded in changing their hearts but got dark bruises and deep cuts in exchange
  * you in particular had it the worst
  * you took it upon yourself to play decoy/bait for _all the shadows’s battles separately_ to let the other members finish it all of with All-Out-Attacks for each of them
  * you chuckled to yourself at how _deja vu_ it all was to you, and you now _kinda_ see what Teppei was talking about when he was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends
  * Haru was trying to wrap bandages on your forearms and lower biceps while Ann was applying alcohol to cuts on your legs and a few on your face
  * when you were treated, you were mostly fine, save for a few blue bruises peeking through everywhere and the abundance of white wraps around your limbs and a bandage or two plastered across your cheek
  * Joker ordered you to stay home for the next week, and you were fine with it; it would be way too suspicious to show up to school looking completely beaten up
  * so you were just chilling on the couch, flinching every now and then when your skin brushes over the fabric a little too fast or when your wounds touch _anything_ , to be honest
  * meanwhile, Teppei was still at home recovering, but he pushed himself to at least be able to go to school starting the next day
  * day 2 crawled by, and now you’re _really_ feeling the injuries now; everything was beyond sore and that didn’t even account for the natural exhaustion your body felt from coming back after a metaverse trip
  * in other words, you got double whammied and your body ached to move
  * you weren’t immobilized but you really preferred to sleep it off all day
  * you knew that at this time, Teppei would probably push himself to go to school today to see you, so you sighed before you reached for your phone
  * you texted Riko to tell Teppei that you had gotten sick IF he asked about you; you didn’t want to text Teppei directly because you knew he would immediately come over to your house and then see you in your state, but not letting anyone know where you were would send your poor boyfriend in a panic
  * you also didn’t want him to worry about you when he had his _own_ body to worry about first
  * second day passed by without much incident surprisingly, and so you decided to check your phone to see a text from Riko from earlier:
  * _I told Teppei not to bother you or visit you because you needed to recover without any distractions, and him coming over or texting you would just make you not get the rest you needed. Hope you get better soon!_
  * Riko, the MVP
  * today’s the third day, and your wounds were still so obvious; Joker was right, you were gonna need at least a week
  * but being absent for a week was also suspicious in itself for student attendance
  * you heard a distinct **knock knock** on your house door and you knew you couldn’t avoid Teppei any longer
  * you shuffled yourself to the door, muttering a few curses of pain here and there before you quietly clicked the door open
  * when Teppei saw you littered in injuries, he was at first shocked, then confused, then heartbroken that you hid this all from him, and then _furious_
  * “Who did this to you?”
  * “I—uhhhhhhhhh—”
  * “... Why’d you hide this from me?”
  * he pushed the door further and let himself in, ignoring your weak protests
  * he gently scoops you up, gives you a forehead kiss, and walks you over to your room to gently place you on the edge of the bed; he settles himself on the floor beneath you
  * he looks up at you imploringly to tell him, his arms reaching up with his abnormally large hands to cup your cheeks, thumbing the bandaid on your cheek
  * “ _Please_ … tell me.”
  * he never uses pleas in these sorts of contexts because he’d feel like he would be pressuring/coercing you into doing something you weren’t comfortable with, but when he did, you knew he was serious, and your resolve easily crumbled
  * so you spent the rest of the day telling about your double life as the Phantom Thief while he hugged you from behind with his chin on your head
  * when you finished explaining the basic concepts and the steps to change a heart, Teppei grew silent until he said:
  * “You still haven’t told me where you got the bruises from.”
  * “Huh? Didn’t I just tell you that we have to literally battle shadow monsters to change people’s hearts?”
  * Teppei hums but he taps on the bandaid on your cheek
  * “You sound like you’ve been doing this for a while, yet this is the first time where you went absent from school, let alone sustain injuries to this degree.”
  * _Shit_ , you were going to leave out stuff regarding the Kirisaki Daiichi, but sometimes, you forget that Teppei is actually quite sharp despite his oblivious demeanor
  * so you shyly confessed the rest of the events you hid from him, afraid of how he’ll react once he hears what they did in combat
  * “I see…” he trailed off, and you held your breath
  * “And from what you said, they’ll change?...”
  * you nodded and said, “They won’t be terrorizing any more basketball teams with their dirty plays.”
  * “That’s a relief,” he sighed. “Although…
  * _I don’t like the idea of you being hurt by their hands_.”
  * “Glad to know our feelings are mutual,” you dryly replied.
  * he gave a hearty laugh for the first time that day
  * “I guess so.”
  * first operation of business once you mostly recovered was to tell the PT that your boyfriend knew and how he came to know about them; everyone took it rather well once you explained yourself and trusted you to keep Teppei in check
  * thankfully, you don’t get those awful wounds again, but once in a while, when you do come in with a nasty bruise or two, Teppei comes into your house with takeout food and applies a bunch of ice packs for you




	3. Aomine Daiki

  * you were really good at sports
  * like... _really_ good at it
  * sometimes during PE, you would do random trickshots with the ball in the respective sport for the day, or you would do a rather skillful maneuvering to dodge incoming balls from other players, and Aomine LOVED watching his little significant other wiping the floor with your classmates
  * he, being way too excited at the possibility that you might actually be a challenge for him, challenged you to a one-on-one in basketball
  * on the street court, you moved as if you were one with the ball, guiding its course as you ducked under his protruding arm, sidestep him as you predicted his change of pace, doing really elaborate spins as you avoided him with ease
  * _were you striking flamboyant poses every time you made a hoop??_
  * he obviously won, but you gave him way too much trouble for someone who he hardly ever saw play basketball
  * “hey, were you secretly practicing basketball for years and you just never told me?”
  * you just shrugged and said that you sometimes played for fun with your relatives, but even Aomine, who’s a general idiot, didn’t 100% buy that reasoning 
  * he first thought you were just a Kise 2.0 who had the natural talent to copy and learn from people really fast… but the more he thought about it, the more it didn’t make _any_ sense
  * _where the fuck would you copy a spin-duck-juke-flip combo move?_ those movements were nowhere close to the orthodox forms of _any_ sport
  * one day, while he was still thinking about you on the rooftop, he called Momoi
  * “Oi, Satsuki, research up my (y/n), yeah?”
  * after being startled out of her wits that he directly asked her for a favor, she went right to work, closely examining you during PE for the next few days
  * meanwhile, Aomine has just been poking and prodding about where you learned those moves (spoiler alert: he was clinging onto you and draping his lanky arms all over you to get you to fess up)
  * Momoi’s results: you were extremely agile and nimble like Aomine but you had a huge streak in creativity and craftiness, especially when outsmarting your “opponent”
  * you were pretty good at balancing your phantom thief life, love life, and school life (you always finished up homework during school, Aomine always naps up the rooftop in the evening and you had the free time to leave for your PT time)
  * however, when Aomine started getting clingier because he was so damn curious about you, you were no longer able to slip away and use the excuse of “I have a particular schedule and curfew because of my family” because he’d insist he’ll walk you
  * you then had the idea to let him walk you to your house first, then wait until he leaves, and _then_ go meet up with the PT gang
  * it worked for a couple weeks, but the added physical work of walking to your home, and waiting for him to leave, and then you dashing to the hideout to make it on time really leaves you beyond exhausted especially after you go on dungeon grinds
  * in other words, you started sleeping in class a lot and slept on Aomine during lunchtime at the rooftop (which he at first did NOT complain)
  * he only really started being suspicious when you out-slept him; he’d always wake up in the evenings just to see you still snoozing
  * you overslept one evening and when you straightened yourself awake and checked your time, you visibly paled and in a panic, grabbed your bag and booked it without a goodbye
  * _you forgot about a confused Aomine who was right next to you_
  * as you dashed to your destination, he was right behind you, worried about what exactly happened that got you so distressed
  * you headed to a particular coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya (don’t worry, Touou Academy is located in Tokyo as well), and when you sharply rounded a corner, you activated the metaverse app, accidentally sucking in a trailing Aomine
  * “Wow,” Aomine whistled, after recovering from his shock from seeing you in a more extravagant/raunchier attire. “Babe, you look great.”
  * you inwardly sighed
  * out of all things, the first thing on his mind was how you looked, and _definitely_ not the fact that the atmosphere was all distorted
  * “Daiki, sit tight… I’ll be back.” you pushed a protesting bluehead out of the metaverse before you turned to your PT friends who were watching the ordeal silently
  * “This looks like deja vu, doesn’t it Mona.”
  * “ _Ugh_ , I still haven’t forgotten what you did, Ryuji.”
  * “Lady Ann, I would _never_ handle you like that—”
  * “ _Liar_.”
  * you all did business as usual, and you asked Joker if you could at least explain to your boyfriend the basic going-ons; he nodded
  * the next day after the information sunk into Aomine’s dense head, he still wanted to see you in your phantom thief outfit (you smacked his arm)
  * still, it finally explained why you were unbelievably nimble
  * from now on, every free time you had together, he drags you to the court to play one-on-one’s; he might even practice and pick up some of your own moves to use in his games
  * when you’re exhausted (quite often), he always offers up his shoulder for you to sleep on, or even _better_ , lets you sit between his legs as you lean against his chest, cradled between his arms
  * after Aomine dumps off his old porn mags to Ryuji, they suddenly become best friends JWBWITBWJ _jk_ , but in all honesty, Aomine was surprised to see Ryuji expressing the same level of passion (about track) like Aomine does for basketball (apparently Yusuke’s passion for art flies over Aomine’s head because “I don’t get it, they’re just scribbles”)
  * you guys may or may not teach each other different parkour moves, just for fun




	4. Midorima Shintarou

  * when you first met him, he found it super odd that you didn’t find his obsession with oha asa off-putting at all
  * sure, you raised a brow when you first found out, but you never really joked about it nor did you seem to care right after
  * “Is that your lucky charm today, Midorima?” indicating to his ziplock of herbs
  * “Yes.” he adjusted his frames “Today is an average day for cancers like me, nanodayo”
  * “Okay”
  * “Okay?” he thought, caught off guard not only at the fact that you were the first person to bring up that it was a lucky item in a conversation, but you being so casually accepting as well
  * usually people ask him the more logical question _what the hell he was holding_ rather than if what he had was a lucky item
  * he chastised himself for overthinking, he probably had a particular reputation and thought rumors spread to most people about his oddities, and that you weren’t an exception
  * in truth, you saw way more concerning things than some green haired boy holding a phone book around
  * in other words, the only way to really make you shook is to just pull out something scarier than all those shadows from the metaverse
  * besides, Joker has a few weird inventory items of his own: moonlight carrots, random accessories and weird trinkets as weapons and gears… _you name it, he’s got it all_
  * honestly, Midorima just reminded you of Joker in terms of both of them having the weirdest items but then turning out to be unexpectedly useful sometimes, and you’re just really amused
  * Midorima would probably start crushing on you once he was panicking because he thought he was careless when losing his lucky item (in reality: Takao decided to fuck around with him), and after you noticed his visible distress, you offered your dried squid (which you coincidentally packed for lunch today as a snack)
  * you heard him mumbling about where the squid was and so you handed him your package and asked him if this was the lucky item for today
  * once he quickly nodded, you tossed it him and said that it was his to take
  * Midorima was sputtering, _oh no_
  * _he’s fallen and he can’t get up_
  * after beating the ever living shit out of Takao, he’d reluctantly confess that he’s “interested” in you; Takao got the memo and cackled
  * next few weeks pass by with you two making small talk before class and during breaks, with a snickering Takao always nearby
  * Takao, being wingman, invites you to watch a Shutoku home game (cue Midorima staring daggers)
  * so you showed up, and boy you were SHOOK
  * no shadow would ever be able to do some accurate shots and aiming like _that_
  * so it kind of became a ritual of yours to go to the home games whenever you can (if PT activities didn’t interfere), plus you’d figure Joker would do something similar to learn skills useful for the PT
  * so you decided to observe the team (mainly Midorima) and maybe watch their moves to see if you can apply them to battle
  * _oh, why is he so good-looking even when he’s especially sweaty and—_
  * Midorima will never admit it, but he always looks for your face when he walks into the court before he relaxes 
  * “Shin-chan, _looking for your lover?_ ”
  * “Shut up, Takao.” 
  * but his blushing gives him away so badly and Takao keeps busting out laughs, holding his stomach
  * your presence kinda became Midorima’s new lucky charm for the games
  * and you two got closer now that you had new topics to talk about (basketball and other hobbies)
  * it was only until Midorima asked about what _you_ did in your free time that you stopped and just went silent, caught off guard that he was interested in your life beyond school
  * “Uhhhhhhh…” you couldn’t tell him you steal hearts on the downlow
  * “I just… do a lot of volunteering”
  * “Is that so, nanodayo.” he didn’t deliver it as a question, as he narrowed his eye at your reaction (where you were generally normally collected)
  * one day after school, when Midorima went to go look for you, he found you with Joker
  * and you looked _very_ close with him
  * jealousy as green as his moppy hair reared its ugly head and he didn’t know whether to approach you or leave you be… until Takao pushed him from behind
  * “O-oi!”
  * “Ah, Midorima! There you are! I was waiting for you!” you called him over, while Joker was silently assessing the green-haired man from the glint of his frames
  * he awkwardly headed over to you, and you introduced Midorima and Joker together and you told Mido that Joker was a really good friend and _coworker_
  * “You work, nanodayo?”
  * wait wait wait shit that was a bad slipup—
  * “(y/n) works with me sometimes on several odd jobs around Tokyo—”
  * “A-and I volunteer afterwards!...”
  * Joker gives you a look of exasperation and “ _you suck ass at lying, holy crap_ ”
  * you wanted to slowly introduce your crush to your PT friends, so you did, every week, you’d ask each one/two to come to Shutoku where you’d introduce them to Midorima
  * Midorima is secretly happy that you’re opening up about your personal life to him, although he constantly gets a naggy feeling that something wasn’t right, especially when your “friends” kept acting weird sometimes when he asked the specific questions of:
  * “Do you guys always hang out?”
  * “Where do you guys even meet up if I never saw (l/n) with you anywhere near Shutoku?”
  * “How’d you guys meet?”
  * “How long have you been friends?”
  * _oh no_ , this was gonna go south for you _fast_
  * thankfully, your friends were decent actors ( _Ann, not you_ ) 
  * Midorima really vibes with Yusuke’s wavelength, and Yusuke praises Midorima for “his expression of art through the use of his lucky charms”
  * Midorima feels weirdly happy that someone for the first time is unabashedly praising him about his superstitions LMAO
  * anywho, so you and Midorima were kind of in the “more than friends” situation as time went on, but he was still frustrated that he wasn’t exactly “close” to you emotionally; he knew you were hiding something from him
  * one day, you stopped coming to his games for 4 consecutive games
  * Midorima is kind of dying
  * he’s dying and really scared that you’re not into him or he did something wrong, but he’d rather die than ever admit it
  * one day you approached him really nervously, and ask him to come with you to an area in Shibuya aND HE THINKS YOU’RE GONNA BREAK UP WITH HIM EVEN THOUGH YOU GUYS AREN’T EVEN OFFICIAL
  * you start apologizing at the fact that you couldn’t come to his games and Midorima insisted it wasn’t a problem ~~(yes it was, he was so stressed)~~
  * actually, for the past few weeks you were hoping your PT gang would approve Midorima and later on you hoped to tell him about your thievery with your friends’ approvals
  * you bring him to your PT gang and from there all of you explained what you all did, confessed what you all were hiding, etc. (they trusted him as per your begging and pleas)
  * you told Midorima that you couldn’t make his games recently _because_ of those PT activities
  * he thought you all just _lost_ it and he thought you were mixed up with some crackhead junkies and tried to pull your arm to leave ASAP
  * but Joker just gives a smirk before he activated the metanav and sucked everyone in
  * Midorima’s reaction is like Makoto’s when she first witnessed the metaverse
  * after the whole ordeal and him digesting the information, from that point on, he gives you small lucky items/charms and makes you take them along in your inventories “just in case” but we all know it’s because he’s worried for your safety
  * oh and you officially became a couple ( ˘ ³˘)♥
  * bonus: you pester Midorima to teach you how to “shoot” more accurately/farther to help with your PT battles especially in throwing projectiles like *model* daggers and shurikens
  * he gets along best with Yusuke and Makoto




	5. Akashi Seijuro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: very VERY brief mention of harassment/assault | mild spoilers up to Haru/mild insinuations of Akechi | mild spoilers of KNB’s “Last Game” movie

  * so in this au, the PT gang more or less goes to Rakuzan with you or _at least_ goes to a school near yours in Kyoto
  * this headcanon also takes place shortly after “Last Game,” so his “Oreshi” side reigns
  * so since the o.g. PT originated in a Kyoto school (in this AU, rather than Shujin Academy), Akashi, as student council president, had more or less heard it from the principal to be wary of this similar “prank” with other kids, and to give harsher discipline if anyone was caught doing so
  * honestly Akashi thought these people were really over-reacting to mere rumors, but he’ll do what he’s gotta do to maintain order at school
  * nothing escapes this guy’s eye, literally
  * he noticed how you’re paying more attention to any nearby conversations that mention the key phrase, “phantom thieves”
  * “Darling, is something the matter?”
  * “Oh, sorry, I was just curious in what they were saying,” you said, tugging his hand with yours as you walked on ahead
  * you weren’t lying at the moment, his eye didn’t see any signs that you often did when you _do_ lie
  * you knew being a phantom thief while dating THE Akashi Seijuro was a suicide mission but you literally prayed to fucking _Igor_ that your acting skills were sufficient enough in getting past his radar (you asked Joker to help you with this; _never_ ask Ann for acting tips)
  * Joker suggested for you to try to give half truths, and when you give whole truths, to make them vague and casual enough
  * for the next month, it was all fine, Akashi hadn’t suspect a thing and things were going uphill for the phantom thieves as well
  * your group was getting coverage from even the big news channels
  * but if something grows popular, there’s bound to be gossip, malicious slander, and lies
  * Akashi was just getting overwhelmed by requests from administration and faculty to try to control the students’ enthusiasm for the PT and deter their efforts in openly showing support
  * of course, you help him with his paperwork often 
  * you’re just reading all these papers and you’re trying to stifle your laughs
  * “What’s so funny, love?” he teased, eyes narrowing affectionately at you
  * “ _They’re just really ridiculous_.” you were honestly dying at the fact that some kids think the PT members were super spy agents from abroad sent to undermine society
  * and he had to admit, they were, and he responded with a light chuckle of his own
  * the next day, while you two were cooped up in the student council room to sort through papers, a female student timidly walked into the room and asked for help specifically from Akashi
  * a PE teacher was allegedly touching female students, and she happened to be one of the victims; none of the adults took her seriously so she hoped Akashi would appeal to them
  * you were next to him, gritting your teeth and digging your nails into your palms as you were hearing this scared girl being forced to turn to another peer because she couldn’t get help from any adults around
  * Akashi vows to make her request his top priority and you swore you found another reason to love this redhead of yours
  * as soon as the student left, Akashi squeezed your shoulder to comfort you and you put your own hand over his, squeezing it back
  * “Don’t worry. Leave it to me, my love.”
  * you smiled, although in your head, you’re planning to tell this to the PT to settle this in a _different_ manner
  * **mission success** , you changed the heart of the teacher and news spread like wildfire in Rakuzan once he confessed and turned himself in
  * everyone hailed Akashi as a hero, since the female student thought he must’ve did something
  * Akashi might’ve talked to some other teachers to convince them to speak out the other day, but he didn’t do anything to warrant such a drastic change in the perpetrator’s behavior
  * he frowned; you were the only one with him at the time the student asked for help
  * as more news of PT pop up, this incident was too convenient to call it a coincidence 
  * _it’s time that the two you had a talk_
  * as he walked briskly around campus, trying to look for you, he noticed you and the PT gang together; he’s seen them around with you for the longest time and knew they were your friends, and none of them raised any alarms in his head… until now
  * “Hey, (y/n), are you sure it was okay to change his heart right after you heard that student’s request?”
  * “Yusuke, I… know it’d look really conspicuous considering the surge in news coverage,” you started. “But the point of us starting this thing was to help others in need! If we’re just waiting around to keep a low cover just for our own convenience, then what’s the point of being Phantom Thieves?”
  * Akashi stopped in his place, amazed at your resolve
  * “... Shall we finish the rest of the Memento requests?” a deep voice rang out, belonging to a certain ravenette, Joker
  * everyone nods, a unanimous decision 
  * the metanav activates, and Akashi immediately noticed the change in atmosphere 
  * he tried to escape it but once it activated, it already pulled him in
  * the PT members don’t notice him and they walked a few meters ahead onto the tracks, until Futaba cried out that there was a strong shadow
  * “Guys, careful! Powerful shadow detected right at the entrance of Mementos!”
  * “Bwah?— _that’s impossible!_ ” Morgana hopped to try to look at Futaba’s screen
  * as everyone runs back to the location, you gasped
  * “ _A-Akashi?_ ”
  * no… there were _two_ Akashi’s, one of them the real person, and the other his shadow
  * Akashi looks completely lost; it was like facing his “other” dominant self again except it wasn’t in his mind
  * _it was real_
  * “I thought we decided to become one again,” Akashi calmly spoke to his other self
  * “We have… but a part of you is hesitant to accept the new side that embodies both sides of the same coin that is you.”
  * “Isn’t that your significant other, (y/n)?” Makoto whispered, and you could only nod as your throat became dry
  * “Shouldn’t we help him?—” Haru started
  * “No,” you quietly whispered
  * it was something he needed to confront alone
  * Joker nods in understanding as everyone continued to watch, ready to jump in to help in case something goes awry
  * “You’re still afraid,” his shadow continued. “You still feel the guilt from how you treated others when you were me.”
  * Akashi said nothing, not denying a single thing the shadow said
  * “You’re correct, and while I am still wary of you,” he began. “I’m no longer alone. I have friends and a special someone to protect, and they would do the same for me.”
  * “What if you end up hurting them again? Maybe you’ll hurt your precious _lover_ ,” his shadow taunted
  * “Then they can deal with me however they see fit,” Akashi spoke with resolve. “Until then, I will be someone who will carry himself with dignity and share kindness with others like a true king.”
  * long story short, Akashi became a persona user after the iconic “ _I am thou, thou art I_ ” monologue
  * Akashi took the pain of attaining the persona ~~like a badass~~ with such calmness; the only indication that gave away the fact that he was in pain was that he collapsed onto a knee and winced as he held his head with one hand, the other hand on the floor to stabilize himself
  * his mask would be like an extravagant masquerade ball mask, with three long, pointy feathers attached to the right side of the mask to give Akashi the silhouette that he’s wearing a tiny crown on the side of his head
  * Akashi’s attire would definitely have a blazer cape and a simple earring similar to Howl’s from Howl’s Moving Castle; lots of mahogany/burgundy/scarlet + browns color schemes
  * ~~imagine after an All-Out-Attack, Akashi’s finishing screen says “My Orders Are Absolute” as you hear his voice say “Lower your head” over that~~
  * at first, Morgana suggested the codename as “King,” and while it _would_ make sense, Makoto was already “Queen” and you rejected that idea on the spot for obvious reasons
  * Yusuke was very occupied gushing dramatically over Akashi’s PT outfit and how the colors just worked so well together with his hair too, and he suggested the name “Crimson” or “Scarlet”
  * it stuck (you can choose which you like better)
  * while Akashi isn’t an official member of the PT, he’s informed just as much as the official members, and he goes when he feels like the mission is a bit more dangerous than usual in order to protect you ｡•́‿•̀｡
  * he and Makoto would get along well since they’re both student council presidents and both love to strategize
  * however, Akashi is different; while Makoto analyzes shadow weaknesses, moves, and potential item drops, he provides position strategies since he noticed everyone just kind of stands adjacent to each other and directly in front of the enemy shadows
  * he likes to apply basketball systems of defense/offense depending on the situation of ambush to fully utilize each member’s abilities (like how he does with Rakuzan’s team)
  * once Joker introduces Akashi to Akechi and Hifumi, _he’s over the moon_
  * Akechi and Akashi are so similar in wit and personality (Bokushi side though, not as much the current Akashi) that Joker thinks he made the mistake of introducing two formidable figures together
  * he’s very impressed with Hifumi, and although he’ll still win the shogi matches against her, he acknowledges her as the best challenge he’s had since a long time 
  * you were kinda jealous that he was spending a lot of time with Hifumi playing back-to-back matches but he made it up to you with cuddles
  * you and Akashi are the power couple™️
  * ~~imagine yours and Akashi’s showtime together !!~~




	6. Kise Ryota

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: spoilers about the palace after 10/11 and the subsequent events shortly after | spoilers/implications about Akechis' character and role in the main plot

  * when talks of the Phantom Thieves first spread to other students from nearby schools like Kaijo, Kise was pretty interested
  * he hears about it even more when he does his modeling after school when even the _adults_ were whispering about it
  * and he’s instantly intrigued by these “Phantom Thieves” and goes on the internet to look for gossip articles and their rumored origins
  * honestly, he seems like a modern tech-savvy guy, considering that he actually plays video games and portable consoles with his friends sometimes, so if anything, Kise would probably be the first person to catch onto the PT hype/bandwagon
  * does he really believe they exist? that’s a pretty hard no, but he’s excited at the buzz being generating around the phenomenon and he’s just keeping tabs on them because it’s such a once in a lifetime thing to experience, living in the same era as these PT, who were overthrowing status quo, and they were even assumed to be teenagers
  * like these people are the _same age_ as him?
  * and he immediately zooms to you, pointing to his phone so enthusiastically, and you peered over to see the Phansite and various polls ( _oh_ Mishima), and he’s babbling theories like:
  * “ _Who do you think their real identities are, (y/n)-cchi?_ ”
  * “ _Do you think they’re real?_ ”
  * you honestly shrugged and said it’s too early to jump the gun just yet but you said that “you’re interested to see where this leads up to” ~~(cough you’re totally not the rumored phantom thief or anything)~~
  * “Why are you so excited anyways, idiot?” you teased, poking his cheek. “If you didn’t know already, that’s how the rest of us normal kids feel about you ‘Generation of Miracles,’ y’know.”
  * he’d totally insist that “it’s not the same” but you heavily digress
  * as weeks progress, he totally became a Phanboy, but if you directly told him that, he’d whine and say he’s just “curious” and nothing more
  * “ _Come onnnn_ ,” he whined. “Wouldn’t you be excited at the possibility of actual superheroes changing the world for the better?”
  * although you would often reply with a “ _pffft_ ,” you were secretly _beaming_ at the fact that your boyfriend was so excited about your PT group
  * “ _Argh, that damn ‘effin Akechi!_ ” Ryuji would often cuss under his breath
  * “Ryuji,” you would often sigh in response. “He’s still valid in his points.”
  * “ _But still—_ ”
  * “Hey, (y/n)!” Ann shook your upper arm as she pointed to the TV. “Isn’t that the guy you’re dating?”
  * you looked at Kise being on a short advertisement segment and you had the most lovestruck grin with half lidded eyes from affection and pride
  * “ _Blegh_ , cooties,” Futaba groaned as she stuck her tongue out
  * “But I think falling in love is a wonderful feeling,” Haru cheerfully chimed in.
  * “Awrghh, when can I get a girl?” Ryuji grumbled
  * “ _Never_ ” - Ann, Futaba, Morgana
  * as the PT grew more popular, so did Kise with his modeling reputation; he’d actually be busier, getting more gigs and being recommended to bigger studios and small host shows here and there
  * Kise felt so bad about leaving his significant other behind like that and he would apologize every day in school to you about how he couldn’t make time
  * in all honesty, you were fine about it, you were very much happy for him
  * besides, if he was busier, he would cling to you _way_ less and you had more time for metaverse explorations with the PT
  * Kise was done recording all his segments with a local talk show host on a particular day and he was walking to leave the studio, when he bumped into someone, distracted at thoughts of planning a few outings with you
  * “ _O-ow—shit_ , sorry!—”
  * “Oh my! I’m very sorry!”
  * Kise looks up after rubbing his head and brushing off his clothes to face a brunette with a briefcase who was also brushing off his trench coat at the same time
  * the brunette made eye contact with Kise before his eyes widened in recognition 
  * “O-oh! You’re that model, correct?”
  * “Ah,” Kise said, growing sheepish. “You know me?”
  * “Your face has been popping up around a lot recently…”
  * both of them shared pleasantries with each other for a few minutes before Kise realized:
  * “W-wait, you’re Akechi, aren’t you?”
  * “Ah… I’m assuming you know about me from the host show about the Phantom Thieves?”
  * Kise was honestly a Phanboy, but he does acknowledge Akechi’s point of view about being cautious about anonymous figures
  * for the next 15 minutes, they both shared about their opinions about the PT
  * “Ah!...” Akechi looked at his wrist watch. “While it has been an utmost pleasure speaking with you, I’m afraid I’m going to be recording soon.”
  * “No worries!” Kise patted his shoulder. “Hope to see ya around!”
  * as Kise casually walks away, Akechi impassively stares at the retreating figure, trying to analyze if he had anything to do with the PT themselves or being their collaborator
  * once he came to the conclusion that he was just a typical, shallow model who was only on the support bandwagon, he finally walks from his spot
  * when the news of president Okumura being killed by the PT spread, Kise was immediately turned off from supporting them, pretty much done with the hype train and going back to playing portable games in his free time
  * honestly, as much as you wanted to deny everything people were saying, you obviously couldn’t, but you still felt indirectly rejected by Kise when he didn’t support you guys anymore
  * with Kise having more modeling gigs and you emotionally distancing yourself with him, your relationship was in a huge rut and you guys haven’t really see each other for at least 2 weeks (school-wise, both of you just shared a class but sat very far from each other; during breaks you were often busy with other projects and helping teachers with menial tasks)
  * . . .
  * another modeling gig was done, and Kise went out of the studio building to see Akechi from a distance
  * he tried calling his name, waving his arm and running to him to get to his location, and he was actually excited to talk to him about the PT again and how Akechi was right in the end
  * but before he got a few meters in from running, the atmosphere got distorted, warping his every surrounding until he saw nothing but darkness and… _tracks?_
  * Akechi, being the ever sharp individual, knew that Kise was trying to call him over but he couldn’t stop the metanav app right when it activated, so he figured that he’s probably going to have to get rid of him or at least make him traumatized enough for his brain to erase his memory for this particular interaction
  * Kise, still being persistent, was calling Akechi’s name, until the black mask approached Kise
  * “ _Trash_ ,” was all he spat out before he used his signature ability on nearby shadows to turn them into “psychotic” and “berserked” beings of power. “ _You’re not even worth my time._ ”
  * “What’d you do with Akechi?” Kise glowered, thinking that this man did something to make him disappear, but the black mask simply vanished, off to do his tasks of finding certain politicians to wipe off competition for Shido
  * “Shit,” Kise muttered, looking at the hostile beasts around him
  * he started sprinting away from them
  * . . .
  * meanwhile, the PT were ready to complete off the requests on Mishima’s Phansite
  * “I might be overstepping my boundaries,” Makoto said, worryingly to you. “But are you and Kise okay?”
  * you just sighed and replied that you were still getting over the sting of him not supporting the PT anymore, even though you knew that he didn’t know a thing about your true identities
  * you didn’t know that you subconsciously relied on his support so much
  * you all entered mementos without a hitch and things were gonna be business as usual, before you heard something that sounded like a bunch of stampedes
  * as everyone curiously looked to the direction of where the sound came from, Futaba panicked
  * “G-g-guys! What _are_ these shadows?! Something’s wrong!”
  * everyone hardened their expressions, ready to deal with them in potential battle and find the source for their spikes in power
  * and you all climbed into the Mona Car, speeding over tracks to get to the power source before you saw an extremely worn out Kise on the floor, slowly backing up to a wall as hordes of shadows closed in on him
  * his eyes were blown out from exhaustion and hidden fear, his hair disheveled, his chest struggling to intake air, and his limbs sustained a few gashes here and there
  * “K-kise?” _oh god, oh god, oh god—_
  * “ _Kise!!_ ” you immediately jumped out of the car while Mona was still DRIVING
  * “(y/n), _no—wait!_ ”
  * “Ryuji!—” Ann pulled him back into the car. “Mona, stop the car!”
  * before any of the shadows managed to touch Kise, you jumped in front of him, snarling with such ferocity _no one_ has ever seen
  * Kise is fucking _lost_ at this point; the entire time he thought he was dreaming until he felt pain surging through his legs from a shadow’s attack earlier
  * now he thinks he’s straight up hallucinating your voice; _maybe he missed you that much?_
  * “Oi! Don’t rush in so recklessly like that, stupid!”
  * the rest of the PT joined you and formed battle formations, and Kise could only watched from behind as everyone took hit after hit from the shadows
  * “Guys! H-hang on! Support’s on the way!” Futaba was sweating anxiously trying to heal and provide buffs as humanly fast as possible
  * everyone was almost near knocked out, with you and Joker having the most health; honestly you were holding it out because Kise’s life was at stake ~~(Joker is _never_ surprised but he’s shook to the core seeing your state and he now knows not to ever fuck with you)~~
  * after a critical hit from you, everyone pulled it together to muster one last All-Out-Attack until the final shadow dissipated into the air (of course you need to do your iconic pose for your ending screen BWAHA; ~~flair and style first priority, injuries second~~ )
  * Kise’s throat was so dry from all that heaving and dehydration, and all he could manage out was a “Who…”
  * “We’re the Phantom Thieves, yeah? Ring a bell?” Ryuji slowly stood up, struggling a bit to gain his balance
  * Kise’s eyes became the biggest saucers they have ever been, and he moved his gaze to your figure where you collapsed under your weight now that the adrenaline was all gone, but Joker caught you at the last second, slinging your arm over his own shoulder
  * Your eyes met his and your gaze softened at him
  * “(y/n)... cchi?...”
  * “Yeah… it’s me…”
  * Makoto and Ryuji both helped Kise up and with the Mona Car, got out of mementos and abandoned the requests for the evening
  * the ride in Mona was silent, Kise in the front seat eyeing your battered body behind him every so often
  * Joker probably decided it was best for Kise to know everything, especially since he knew your identity now
  * everyone was crammed in Takemi’s clinic, trying to treat injuries and bandaging everything up
  * luckily for Kise and most PT members, they weren’t serious, and they can go about their daily lives normally 
  * Joker and you took the heaviest damage, and while Joker’s body was used to it, you were not
  * you were constantly slipping in and out of consciousness and Takemi was seriously considering to charge the ever living fuck of Joker because your body made you such a difficult patient to treat, and Joker really didn’t want to resort to a hospital because it’d give everyone’s identity away
  * “Don’t…” you meekly croaked out, tugging on Takemi’s sleeve, and Joker finally decides to leave it up to her to fix you up
  * everyone mostly went home, except for you, Joker, and Kise, who insisted to stay to watch
  * he’s still in utter disbelief at the turn of events but he was trying to be calm about it and carefully comprehend everything that was thrown at him just moments ago
  * Joker told Kise that they’ll explain everything another day and he agreed
  * Takemi’s medicines were literal miracles because you woke up just slightly dizzy and sore from your battered state, but other than that, your life wasn’t in danger (it could have very well been had you been treated under the average doctor)
  * Kise was going to take the subway and then piggyback you home, no questions asked, and he denied your protests and said that his legs were fine and he could carry you just fine
  * the subway rides were pretty silent but it wasn’t a problem because other people were shuffling around and making background noise
  * but the walk home was really awkward, considering how it’s been quite long since you were so physically close to him
  * “... We didn’t kill Okumura…”
  * “I know.”
  * “... We don’t kill…”
  * “I know, (y/n)-cchi.” He craned his head to gently smile at you on his back. “I must’ve hurt your feelings, huh?”
  * “Mmmm…”
  * “You could’ve just told me, you know,” he teased, and you easily mustered the energy to smack his head
  * “Argh—idiot! You’re such an idiot!—”
  * he was huffing out laughs the rest of the way to your house
  * you recovered very quickly thanks to Takemi’s medicine and instructions you had on the bedside ~~(let’s say your parents were not very present in your life, probably abroad or MIA or something)~~ and you went back to school like nothing happened, except if someone jostled you too hard maybe you’d wince
  * and right after, Joker summoned everyone for a meeting to discuss the events the other day, and you dragged Kise to the designated hideout of yours
  * Kise actually took the information quite well this time, and he understood the concepts very quickly
  * however, after filling Kise in on the basics, you all were in a heated discussion about what happened, using Kise’s testimony as a basis
  * once he mentioned “Akechi” and “black mask,” everyone’s suspicions were now confirmed; now they just needed undeniable, hard evidence
  * Kise feels really stupid for being swayed so easily by Akechi
  * from now on, he’s hardcore anti-Akechi and mega, super Phanboy
  * hell, he even used his money from his modeling gigs to buy Phantom Thief merch even if it wasn’t even official
  * dates with Kise now include areas near the PT hideouts and locations because he wants to get to know your other friends, just like how you got to know his own teammates
  * he’s such good moral support for you and the group, especially when you felt like the entirety of Japan turned against the PT and their efforts to reform society
  * Kise would make new nicknames for you, affectionately calling you his “hero” / “savior” / “angel” 
  * oh _you bet_ if Kise _ever_ happens to bump into Akechi ever again in his workplace, he’s going to give the most intense, bloodthirsty glare 
  * ~~(Akechi would feign the most irritating innocence and would honestly act like Kise was the aggressor)~~
  * Kise would become extremely protective of you, especially as the hate and antis become more frequent everywhere, and the thought of Akechi personally hurting you sends him BOILING in fury; so, he might come off as clingier at some points, but he really means well
  * lots of times, when Kise has his back-to-back practices, you stay on the bleachers to watch him show off to you (and getting hit by Kasamatsu) because Kise is worried about your safety
  * but if you _have_ to go somewhere, he’d reluctantly agree
  * BUT IF YOU CALL HIM IF YOU NEED HELP, HE’LL BE THERE SPRINTING THE OLYMPICS
  * he gets along super well with Ann because they’re both models and they like to talk about their passion; it’s a very coworker/friend relationship 
  * as a natural “all-rounder” aka “jack of all trades, master of all” type of person, Kise sees Joker as a rival; not only was this man good at everything ~~(because he’s a protag)~~ , but Kise has seen him physically supporting you, always asking you if you were okay, knowing your Phantom Thief side way more than—
  * he’s a whiny jealous child and you give him tons of kisses reassuring him
  * he’s a happy, whiny child now
  * ~~if you were gonna be honest, you find his intense fury at Akechi very attractive~~
  * ~~you know “that look” he gave during the Seirin vs. Kaijo game, yeah THAT LOOK~~



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed how Kise had an asshole-like personality at some points in his headcanon, especially when he was super quick to stop supporting the PT, it’s a reference to his old Teiko’s personality; if it weren’t for Kuroko and Kasamatsu, Akechi would’ve been totally correct in which Kise would’ve turned out to be a huge cocky, asshole.


	7. Momoi Satsuki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: very VERY brief mention of harassment

  * you and Momoi were friends back in the old Teiko days, when you sometimes accompanied her to basketball practices and watching in awe of the first string’s plays
  * you went to most of Teiko’s games, following wherever Momoi went
  * when Momoi was heartbroken at the fact that the GoMs weren’t really friends anymore, you were there right at her side comforting her
  * nothing’s changed much since you both decided to attend Touou Academy together
  * well, maybe except the fact that both of you were pining for each other
  * and both of you were oblivious of each other’s feelings _for_ each other
  * Aomine wants to gag sometimes watching Momoi cling to Kuroko like she was his girlfriend, yet she would actually be shy and would genuinely try to (unconsciously) impress you
  * but he knew it wasn’t his place to be nosy and all, if anything, he’d rather sleep than deal with “this lovey-dovey shit”
  * Momoi would seem to be the type of person who _did_ initially crush on Kuroko, but would keep insisting she likes him because deep within her heart, that “crush” on him was the only thing that hadn’t changed from Teiko’s years
  * in other words, she continued to crush on him out of convenience rather than out of true infatuation/love
  * in middle school years, you actually supported her romantic pursues for Kuroko, but as you both became 1st years, you’d felt heart pangs every time she’d gush about him in front of you or pounce on him
  * speaking of “hearts,” you actually became a Phantom Thief after you accidentally got dragged into the metaverse (as per Ryuji’s carelessness) and you confronted your inner self and your insecurities (especially whenever you were with Momoi because she’s drop dead _gorgeous_ AND _intelligent_ ), and your “rebel self” was a more confident, confrontational, and dominating personality who didn’t give two shits anymore
  * despite going to different schools than the PT members, they were still near your area, so as Momoi got busier with Touou’s practices and her late-night analyses on other teams, you were busy adjusting to your new PT life
  * and you thought this PT lifestyle would help you start to get over Momoi or at least forget about Momoi’s crush over Kuroko
  * one day, Momoi got up on the rooftop to get Aomine for practice again when she stopped and looked around
  * “ _Ehh?_ Where’s (y/n)-chan?” 
  * “Go look for ‘em, yourself.”
  * “ _Mou_ , I can’t because I have a job to get you, idiot!”
  * Aomine just looks at her with disinterest before he yawns and goes back to sleep
  * “Sheesh!...”
  * rather than wasting the rest of her time trying to convince the bluehead, she decided to look for you, trying to go to all the locations she thought you would be at
  * you were nowhere at Touou, that’s for sure
  * she actually went farther outside campus, calling your name once in a while before she gave up and started heading back to campus for the gym
  * you just finished some of the requests with the PT when you all decided to hang out at a dessert shop near your school
  * but at a distance, you saw a man gripping and pulling Momoi close to him
  * “Hey! Let go of her!”
  * you instantly grabbed him off of her, putting yourself between her and the man
  * “Tch, I’m her father, and she wasn’t cooperating with—”
  * “ _I-I don’t even know you!_ ”
  * _oh_ , he was playing _that_ lying card to get her alone with him, huh
  * “Leave or I’ll be calling authorities. I’m sure no matter how much you’ll try to explain this, a girl struggling against a grown man doesn’t have any positive implications.” you stood up taller against him, and Momoi was staring at you in awe at how… attractive you were when you were being so protective (when you normally would _never_ be confrontational or would avoid making a scene of yourself)
  * He tried to punch you to get to Momoi, but the rest of the PT gang caught up and Ryuji was _ready_ to throw HANDS, joker his **megidolaon** , yusuke his **expensive art brushes** —
  * yeah, this man fled faster than an abra in the wild
  * “Momoi-chan, are you hurt?” you gently hold her shoulders as you examine her for any potential injuries
  * “A-ah, n-no…”
  * “Holy shit, she’s—” “Ryuji, you _can’t_ be serious.” Ryuji was blushing really hard because of Momoi’s assets
  * “ _Meow_.” - Morgana (Translation: “Ryuji, you’re a vulgar monkey”)
  * Ryuji turned to the said cat and hissed, “Shut up, you’re totally thinking the same!”
  * “Meow!” (“I _only_ have eyes for Lady A—”)
  * “Guys,” you interrupted them, bringing to the pair’s attention that everyone in the vicinity, group and strangers alike, was staring at them (primarily Ryuji because he was _talking_ to a _cat_ )
  * Momoi was really confused but she figured it’s just a quirk he had, like how Midorima had his lucky charms
  * you invited her to join your group hangout with the PT, and while she thought about how she needed to go back to the gym, she decided she can ditch a practice for once
  * as you all settled on a table together and grabbed menus to order, Momoi couldn’t help but examine everyone and their “stats”
  * everyone had some sort of _aura_ to them that she couldn’t place an exact finger on, and as far as she knew, everyone was athletically capable in some shape or form
  * she was envious and in awe of Ann particularly because of the way she carried herself, and Momoi was secretly self-conscious about her boobs so she was lowkey comparing sizes with Ann (why else would she always comment about Riko’s cup size every time they’d meet? it’s _projection_ )
  * she was still curious on where you managed to snag such an interesting friend group because everyone had friend dynamics similar to the Generation of—
  * “Momoi?”
  * “A-ah! Sorry, sorry, (y/n)-chan! I wasn’t listening.” 
  * “Sheesh, Momoi,” you pouted. “You sometimes have your head in the clouds.”
  * “I was thinking about your friends’ stats,” she hummed.
  * “Stats?” Joker raised a brow; oh, he’s _interested_ now
  * so you ~~bragged~~ explained to your friends about Momoi’s pre-cognitive defense research for basketball
  * and after that really fun group hangout, Momoi was excited to research about people _outside_ of basketball for the first time
  * so since then, she always made time for your PT group hangouts (only when you guys hang out like normal friends, not when you guys have official meetings), in order to study everyone’s personalities, habits, etc.
  * for physical ability evaluations, she’d often just quietly watch, but if she needed to confirm something, she’d ask an individual to do a quick, particular physical task before thanking them and scribbling down her conclusions
  * you knew that Momoi was working with very limited data because the PT’s physical abilities aren’t utilized until they enter battle, but everyone was still encouraging her and praising her for her accuracy in other areas of her data
  * this “project” Momoi was doing made you and her close again because now she has a valid reason to visit you and the PT and hang out by your side
  * “You’re totally dating Momoi-chan, aren’t you,” Ann said, playfully winking at you.
  * “N-n-n-n-n-no!!” you were so flustered, turning completely cherry red at the thought of you two being a couple
  * from afar, Momoi totally thought you liked Ann because of the way she winked at you and how you reacted to it
  * “So are you even a thing?” Ryuji asked behind her, also looking at you and Ann
  * “Wh-what? W-we’re not!”
  * “Oh. My bad.” he gave a sheepish grin before joining you and Ann
  * everyone on the PT now has a new mission: **Operation: Wing-Man**
  * after a lot of “incidental” bumps, brushes, and scenarios planned by ~~Joker~~ the Phantom Thieves, you finally figured out it was your friends’ ploys, you went to (ง'̀___'́)ง their asses
  * honestly, the PT loved Momoi as a close friend the more she spent time with them, and they were more than happy to let her know and recruit her as a support in some way
  * so you said, “I need to talk to you about something important,” and she deadass thought you were going to confess and her heart beated faster
  * _wait, she hoped for you to confess to her?_
  * suddenly, she had a revelation that she’s liked you all this time *cue the angels singing choruses in her head and all the lightbulbs going off*
  * but no, you were trying to ease her into telling her that all of you were the Phantom Thieves before everyone else will show up to explain
  * “So… uh… we’re—erm, Phantom… Thieves.”
  * “Eh?...”
  * yeah, she didn’t believe you
  * “If… if this is a prank, I’m leaving! See if I care!” and she tried storming off but you held her wrist
  * “W-w-wait!”
  * “ _Shit! Quick! Activate the nav!_ ” “ _I’m trying, I’m trying!_ ”
  * and voilà! you all were decked in PT attires
  * “Wha…?”
  * “Momoi, get ready to watch us in our true forms,” you coolly said, and Momoi short-circuited right there and then
  * how is your personality doing a 180??
  * you all found some weaker shadows nearby and instigated a battle, making sure Momoi was on the raised platform area so her safety was guaranteed 
  * “amazing” did not begin to describe what she was witnessing right in front of her eyes
  * right after you hit your finishing pose, you calmly hopped in front of her before taking her hand, her other hand clutching her notebook to her chest
  * “I like you,” you said, staring into her eyes with your mask still on
  * “I-I-I-I-I like you too,” she murmured, pulling your figure and pushing your head into her chest
  * choruses of “aws” “magnificent” and “get a room” rang out and both of you separated in embarrassment 
  * so she knows your identities, but she doesn’t find a big deal about it 
  * Joker introduces her to Mishima because since they’re both direct supporters on the sidelines, he figured they should know each other
  * Mishima is a mess of a simp, not knowing to look at her pretty face or her chest, and Momoi fucks around with him because she knows boys like him like the back of her hand
  * this girl likes to torture this guy for fun and you just sit back and watch chaos unfold along with the rest of the PT
  * until you pitied the poor guy and announced, “Mishima, I’m **dating** her.”
  * “O-o-o-oH! I-is that sO?”
  * ~~poor Mishima~~
  * Momoi admitted to you at some point that she was jealous of the friendship you had with the PT and how they all seem to know you better than she did
  * you chuckled and admitted that that was exactly how _you_ felt back in Teiko, with Momoi being surrounded by the GoMs and you sticking out like a sore thumb
  * this is a very friends-to-lovers situation
  * you both encourage each other to be your best selves, you cheer for Momoi in first-row seats in basketball and she cheers for you in first-row waiting area seats in mementos
  * Haru and Momoi became very very close friends; their personalities mesh _so_ well together 




	8. Hanamiya Makoto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: heavy spoilers about Akechi

  * **he hates you**
  * he despises you so much because he can never get a read on you
  * you were someone couldn’t care less about his intimidation and antics, and you were one of the only people, besides his teammates, who didn’t fear him the same way like the rest of the students
  * he knew you found his personality distasteful but he didn’t really give a shit for your opinion 
  * he was just really bothered that you weren’t shaking in your boots at his presence
  * honestly you two didn’t really interact with each other much other than the fact that you sometimes crossed paths with each other in the hallway, or when you both would just give occasional glances to each other as you passed by each other inside the classroom
  * Hanamiya had a can full of worms to unpack: there were rumors of all types about him that literally screamed for everyone to just stay away
  * but you figured it was a similar situation to Joker, where students kept making the most outrageous rumors that ended up isolating him from making friends for the longest time
  * so in other words, while you were still extremely wary of Hanamiya, you were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt yourself; after all, some of the rumors are _at least_ guaranteed to be exaggerated
  * Hanamiya seems to relish in those rumors though so that’s a suspicious thing in itself
  * of course you knew about the Kirisaki Daiichi basketball team; those were the “biggest” rumors regarding his reputation 
  * “Hey, have you all heard of Hanamiya Makoto, before?” you asked your PT friends at the Leblanc coffee shop
  * “Huh? I heard somethin’ about that from folks at the basketball team at Shujin,” Ryuji said, looking up from his soda.
  * “Really?” Ann leaned over in interest, and Joker only nodded in affirmation 
  * as Ryuji filled in the team about the rumors he heard about Hanamiya, Joker shared his own testimony in what he’s heard
  * “That—that’s awful!” Ann had her hand to her mouth
  * “Hmmm, foul play on top of blackmailing students, huh…” Morgana contemplated. “Not to mention, Joker mentioned how the previous basketball coach suddenly quitted last year. Think that’s got to do with the kid, too?”
  * “While these allegations are nothing but abhorrent,” Makoto ~~(the Nijima Makoto not Hanamiya Makoto NRHWIFJWO)~~ started. “Is there any particular reason that you brought this matter up, (y/n)?”
  * “Not really.” you munched on some potato chips. “It just came to my mind recently because this year I’ve ran into him more frequently now that we share a class.”
  * “Maybe we should check Mementos to see if we can confirm anything with his shadow,” Ann said. “Even if they’re just rumors, if there _is_ a possibility that they’re true, we have to help these students…”
  * “And we can finish requests up while we’re at it,” Makoto suggested
  * everyone got into mementos, Futaba coming in later because she was busy accompanying Sojiro with some errands
  * as soon as you updated Futaba about what you all discussed about, Futaba frowned as she stared at her Necronomicon screen
  * “I can’t find his name on the floors we’ve explored so far.”
  * “Don’t _tell_ me his shadow is all the way down in the depths of Mementos…”
  * “Exploring deeper into Mementos recklessly with only the sole reason for Hanamiya would be fatal,” Morgana said. “We can’t even get past the bulky doors unless we become more prevalent in the people’s conscience.”
  * “Looks like we’ll just be doing requests as usual,” Makoto said
  * the PT did business as usual for the next couple of weeks, and while no one brings up Hanamiya again in the conversations (until you were ready to reach the depths of mementos), you still kept observing Hanamiya when you thought he wasn’t looking, and you were still wondering to what extent were those rumors true
  * . . .
  * “Yo,” Hanamiya drawled, sauntering over to you in the hallways one day, ignoring the whispers of other students who were glancing at you at being approached by him. “(y/n), right?”
  * “Mhm,” you nodded casually. “And you’re Hanamiya.”
  * his expression twisted in dark frustration that he _still_ couldn't get you to cower, even when he’s closing in on you
  * he then leaned closer, leering at your face
  * “Ho?... Is this really the time to be putting up a tough act, _hmmm?_ ”
  * you blinked before bypassing him before he got to close in on you with his body completely
  * “Class is almost starting, y’know,” you said, glancing back at him. “We wouldn’t want to be late.” 
  * he gritted his teeth at your carefree attitude, but followed you to class like he wasn’t bothered that you just blew him off
  * as days progressed to weeks, the relationship between you and Hanamiya developed into a “cat-and-mouse chase,” where Hanamiya is always trying something and you just don’t make a big deal out of it and leave
  * the students are so scared for you but so curious as to where this will lead up to
  * more rumors ensue
  * you were pondering about why Hanamiya was going through such lengths in trying to be an asshole to you; you don’t think you did anything to provoke him
  * it’s been over 2 months since you last brought up Hanamiya to the PT, and during those months, you and Hanamiya were technically talking together a lot more, albeit in mild threats, taunts, and comebacks
  * still, there was something about Hanamiya that you couldn’t put your finger on
  * he thinks the same about you ~~(but he’d rather be burned at a stake than ever admit that)~~
  * when the PT decided to make another long due trip to mementos again to explore, things were smooth sailing until when you reached to a person’s shadow, someone was _already there_
  * _Ann: “Who’s that?”_
  * the person, who was facing the terrified shadow on the floor (trying to crawl away, backing up), turned to face you guys
  * chin-length black moppy hair, with the ever-so present smirk on his lips
  * “Well, well… if it isn’t the _Phantom Thieves_.”
  * _that rich, dark tone of voice…_
  * “Hanamiya??”
  * “Oh ho?” he turned his gaze towards who he assumed was you
  * _No wonder you couldn’t find his shadow_
  * he had a mask just like all of you
  * take a theater mask (either the comedy/happy or tragedy/sad one 🎭, your choice because it can represent different things), cut the mask horizontally in half so only the eye portion of the mask remained, and give it a dark teal color; that would be Hanamiya’s mask
  * the comedy mask could represent his two-facedness, the tragedy could represent his desire to bring suffering to everyone around him; either way, both masks would fit his character
  * the rest of his attire isn’t too much different from his Kirisaki Daiichi uniform; he had a black suit and a long tie, with casual slim fitted slacks tucked into his calf boots and his blazer being looser and having a tailcoat
  * in other words, his image of a rebel isn’t different from his real life counterpart; _he already views himself as a rebel_
  * Hanamiya bursted into a fit of cackles, holding his stomach as everyone watched him dumbly, trying to comprehend why someone like him is a persona user
  * _No wonder he couldn’t find your shadow_
  * he actually awakened to a persona after he graduated middle school, when he found an app implemented into his device (thanks, “Igor”)
  * Hanamiya is very self-aware of his entire self and accepts, even _embraces_ it, so that was the sole reason why he attained a persona; he doesn’t deny any part of himself, so he naturally doesn’t have a shadow
  * for a while, he’s been using mementos to extort people’s darkest secrets and information from their shadows for fun; while he _could_ blackmail for an advantage, he just loves to live knowing that he has such power over people
  * he never killed any shadows, he’s not that far off into insanity ~~like cough Akechi~~ , and he’s very intelligent (160+ IQ), connecting the dots of the basic concepts of the functions of the metaverse very quickly on his own and knowing how to maneuver around effortlessly (which was why he flew by under everyone’s radars)
  * he was pissed off at the fact that you were the only one who he couldn’t find any dirt on and your shadow was never in mementos no matter how hard he scoured, so recently he tried resorting to intimidating you in the real world, getting you to slip up, or looking for any possible weaknesses you had
  * “He’s the black mask, isn’t he?” Ryuji winded up his arm in preparation for battle
  * “ _ **Idiot**_ ,” Hanamiya barked in amusement. “Are you _colorblind?_ ”
  * “Why you little—”
  * “Have you ever met anyone with a black mask?” you interjected calmly
  * “Why should I tell you?” he gave a slow smirk
  * “Alright, sounds like you haven’t met him yet,” you said and he raised a brow at your response
  * “He’ll dispose of everyone that isn’t his ally,” you continued
  * “What if I _was_ his ally?” he sneered, walking closer to where you were, but you held your ground
  * “You would’ve known my true identity so long ago if you were, but your face just moments ago gave away genuine surprise when you saw me.”
  * _Tch, you got him_
  * “What if I was just acting?”
  * “You’re smart, Hanamiya, but you’re still a human. Even _you_ have moments where your body acts before it thinks.”
  * he snickers a low laugh, before putting his hands up in mock surrender
  * “Well, well,” he drawled. “You got me… 
  * _like I’d ever say that, **dumbass**_.” 
  * he strolled past by you and the Phantom Thieves, ignoring the wary glances and their tense positions waiting to spring into action if he tried anything
  * “My condolences,” he leered, particularly at you, before expertly disappearing
  * . . . 
  * “ _Now what?_ ” Ryuji was extremely agitated, shaking his leg up and down
  * “Not only do we have the black mask to worry about, but Hanamiya…”
  * “(y/n) shares classes with him, too…”
  * while Joker trusts you to be able to handle things on your own at school, he tells you to call the Phantom Thieves ASAP if things go downhill and you agreed
  * at school, Hanamiya gave you knowing looks here and there but other than that, he acts as if nothing happened the other day at mementos
  * from now on, Hanamiya gives a lot of double entendre comments regarding the Phantom Thieves because he now technically knows your identity 
  * _he has blackmail material on you now_
  * while you try not to get unnerved by him, you knew that whenever he shoots a contented smirk at you, he’s thinking about how he’s got you under this thumb
  * does he really like you? who’s to say? he’ll only admit that you’re interesting compared to the other dullheads 
  * as much as he hangs the “blackmail” over your head, he doesn’t do anything too drastic to you, only commanding you to get him vending machine stuff or doing his work (which you bullshitted for him to fail but you only shrugged because he only said “do his work” and nothing more)
  * you’re kind of forced to hang around the Kirisaki Daiichi team a lot because that’s where Hanamiya spends his time a lot of the times (rip your reputation, but a lot of students pitied you for being forced to hang around Hanamiya)
  * so you confirmed it yourself that the basketball rumors were real because you saw them practice foul play techniques firsthand in countless of practices you were forced to sit through
  * still, when PT activities called for you, you just upped and left; at first Hanamiya threatened you to stay, but you always gave him a resolute look in your eyes that meant “try fucking with me, I _dare_ you” that really reminded him of Kuroko’s glares
  * he throws a bunch of fits, tantrums, and curses at anything and anyone near him every time he tries to intervene your PT summons but didn’t have his way, but you knew that meant he dropped the subject when he does that
  * so your PT life was mostly uninterrupted 
  * . . .
  * the Phantom Thieves eventually reached to a really deep point in mementos, possibility near the core of it, at this time
  * getting to the bottom of it all was really tough, the battles getting more painstaking and difficult to win
  * this battle in particular, Joker recognized the shadow as an extremely powerful persona and his prediction about the enemy was correct
  * it blew past your formations and isolated you from the rest to take you as a hostage
  * death was coming to knock on your door because the rest of the PT was so worn out
  * that was until a certain teal mask flitted in your blurring vision
  * all you registered was slicing and screams from the shadow boss before Hanamiya propped you up, his other hand planting his cane sword (stained with the shadow’s dark blood) into the ground
  * the rest of the PT were confused because _why would an enemy save you?_
  * you blearily blinked to look at his concealed face as he drew closer to your ear to hiss:
  * “ _You owe me._ ” 
  * and as he drew his lips away from you, he flashed you biggest conniving smirk, and even in your hazy state, you could see the gleam in his eyes beyond his mask
  * **you were so screwed**
  * bonus: Hanamiya would probably like Akechi and his entire character at first, trying to pit himself against him in a battle of wits and ideals, but as soon as he figured out Akechi was out to kill the PT (aka you) he’d probably try to deal with him in his own way, but he’ll _never_ let you on about his plans; he’s so sharp that he would be the first person to figure out Akechi’s double persona situation, but would he tell the Phantom Thieves about his deductions? _never_.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanamiya from Teppei’s headcanon in the previous chapters does not correlate nor is not connected with Hanamiya’s own headcanon here.


	9. Murasakibara Atsushi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: spoilers regarding the palace’s deadline after 10/11 and the subsequent events shortly after

  * in this headcanon, the PT is located in either Yosen high or any nearby schools in Akita, since it’s a 7 hour drive _minimum_ from Akita to Tokyo (the main location of the PT, Shujin Academy)
  * you and Murasakibara have been dating for a few months
  * very casual, easygoing relationship between the two of you where you two give each other space if needed and cuddle (while snacking, of course) other times
  * so your Phantom Thief life remained secretive and very manageable to keep under wraps, especially since he just never saw the need to poke and prod through your business if you never bring it up yourself first
  * as long as you gave him cuddles and snacks, he didn’t have a problem; he knew you were a good person too, so he had no reason to doubt you
  * “(y/n)-chin,” he childishly demanded. “I wanna cuddle.”
  * “Ah..! I’m so sorry, Atsu!” you gave him an enveloping hug as an apology. “But not today, I have lots of work to do for school…”
  * you gave him a regretful look, and while he was pouting and whining for snacks, he eventually let you go out of his ginormous arms
  * he might be a childish person and have lots of clingy tendencies/demands, but he’s still reasonable in letting you carry out your own life
  * . . . 
  * “Ready to explore the palace?” Futaba waves you over, with the other hand grasping her phone that already had the metaverse app opened and ready to be activated 
  * “ _Yup_ ,” you heaved, after jogging briskly for several minutes to the hideout
  * Ryuji: “Alright! All set!”
  * Haru: “I’m still a little nervous…”
  * Ann: “Don’t worry, Haru! _We’ll make sure to change his heart!_ ”
  * . . .
  * “ _Humpf_ ,” Murasakibara huffed, blowing his hair strand off his face for the umpteenth time as his chin was propped on the table, his biscuits left mostly forgotten a few feet away 
  * “You’ve been sighing a lot, Atsushi.” Himuro peered over from his book to see him moping. “What’s wrong?”
  * “(y/n)-chin isn’t here,” he grumbled
  * “That can’t be helped sometimes, you know.”
  * “I knooow,” he drawled before sighing again
  * “What are all these snacks lying around for? Aren’t you going to eat them?”
  * “They’re for (y/n)-chin, obviously.”
  * “Staring holes into the Hi-Chew packages isn’t going to summon them over. Come here, we can use the kitchen and maybe fix you up a quick appetizer to take your mind off of this.”
  * “O-kay.”
  * the next subsequent day, Murasakibara was clingier than normal, even went as so far as to initiate PDA by holding your hand when walking in the hallways and draping himself all over you during breaks
  * and yes, he fed you those snacks he saved for you from yesterday
  * Murasakibara honestly thought this was going to be a one time thing where you were busy, but since you were working on Okumura’s palace before the deadline, you had to always leave every day, or at least every other day, to finish the palace exploration
  * you initially went to the palace with the PT every day, but after seeing Murasakibara’s sour moods during school and being really grumpy over you not spending time with him, you opted to tell Joker that you would settle on coming every other day instead
  * Murasakibara still had some reservations about the changes in your “after school” activities that didn’t involve him by your side, but at least he knew you made the effort to try to be with him as much as you could, even though he could see how important these “activities” were to you
  * so for now, he was content enough with the way things are
  * until several days later, when he was about to approach you after school, after finding you in a secluded corner of the campus outside (it wasn’t hard to spot you with his height), he tried to approach you when he overheard your hushed conversation on the phone:
  * “Yeah… got it… mhm… I’ll be there at Leblanc… yeah, it wouldn’t be a problem, I hope. I should be free this evening, Akira. Wait for me, okay?”
  * _Akira?_ Who _was_ that?
  * Murasakibara stood there, frowning as he was processing your words and the possible implications from them, and for the first time, he felt _doubt_
  * while he was lost in his thoughts, you hung off the call, and went to look for Murasakibara, and in immediately spotting the tower of your boyfriend, you ran to him
  * “Atsu!” you cheerily called, and it immediately snapped Murasakibara out of his thoughts to face you (more like looking down)
  * “Atsu,” you said, squeezing his torso in a hug and nuzzling him. “I gotta go again… But I’ll make it up to you, I promise!”
  * and as you backed up from Murasakibara to start jogging to your destination, you yelled out, “I’ll bring lots of food tomorrow for lunch!”
  * a small hiss in the back of his mind concluded that you were _possibly_ seeing someone else; the fact that you constantly canceled a lot of plans with him just for these “activities” already gnawed at him
  * in his ~~laziness~~ dread, he opted not to follow you at all and immediately went to look for Himuro
  * “Muro-chin, what does it mean when someone is always busy?”
  * “Is this about (y/n)-chan again?” Himuro chuckled, not missing the way how Mursakibara was even more sullen than usual
  * “ _Che_.”
  * “Maybe you need to talk to them yourself, Atsushi,” he hummed, walking slightly ahead of the giant. “You can’t constantly rely on me for all your decisions.”
  * “ _Maybe they’re just sick of eating snacks with you 24/7_ ,” Fukui popped up between them. “ _Have you ever even been on a proper date with (l/n) before??_ ”
  * “(y/n)-chin isn’t like that…” he grumbled vehemently, but it was totally obvious that he was hesitant
  * the next day, you came to school like nothing ever happened, your face bright as you held a cloth loaded with bento boxes, and Murasakibara decided to try Himuro’s advice to “talk to you”
  * “(y/n)-chin, you like me, right?” he propped his chin on your head
  * “Huh? Of course I do, _silly_ ,” you beamed up at him, and Murasakibara, right there and then, lost the will to question you any further, and he felt the doubt washed away
  * he figured this whole ordeal must’ve been just his imagination and he chided himself for doubting you like that when you always gave him amazing food and told him when you were free and whatnot
  * _scratch that_ , when school finished for the day, you were ready to bounce out again with another excuse
  * his doubt came back and just multiplied tenfold
  * you felt _really_ guilty, leaving your boyfriend in the dust constantly
  * you hadn’t anticipate this would happen, no; Okumura’s palace unexpectedly became a lot harder to deal with in the deepest areas, especially with the constant puzzles in the maze to sort through
  * and you knew he wasn’t a stupid person to overlook your behavior despite his oblivious surface, but even though you knew you couldn’t tell him your secret life, you tried to make him feel better in the only way you knew how: give him food
  * but there’s only so much food could do to appease Murasakibara before enough was enough for him
  * so while you ran out from campus again for the umpteenth time, Murasakibara decided to put his laziness to the side and follow you for once
  * ~~okay but to outsiders, it totally looked like this grown ass man child giant was stalking a little, unsuspecting you~~
  * you made a sharp turn before slipping into a quaint coffee shop, and Murasakibara made the connection to the phone call after seeing the shop sign “Leblanc”
  * he was already jittering inside from nerves, but _now_ he’s agitated
  * _If he walked in, was he going to see you with another person?_
  * he gave a slow sigh before stopping before the door and opening it as he ducked in the doorway
  * a soft jingle from the door’s bell announced his entrance and everyone in the shop (including you) stopped their conversations midway and turned their attention to the newcomer (whose shadow from standing at the door blanketed the entire shop interior)
  * Ryuji: “ _Huh? Can’t you read? Shop’s closed_.”
  * Makoto: “ _Ryuji! Can’t you just be nice? **—**_ I’m sorry, please don’t mind his manners, but he _is_ right that we’re not open as of now…”
  * “(y/n)-chin came in here.”
  * Ann: “A-ah! Well, _yes_ they did! But _uh_ , they’re a _sweeper_ and is training to be a waitress **—** ”
  * you jabbed Ann’s side with your elbow with a “ _shhh_ ” before you got up from your seat to walk to Murasakibara
  * “Atsu, what are you doing here?”
  * “I came here to ask you the same thing, chibi-chin.”
  * “(y/n) is working here as an apprentice to be a coffee barista under the owner’s tutelage along with the rest of us,” Joker said, getting up from his seat to walk towards Mura as well
  * “Akira…” you turned to Joker
  * not only was this man on a _first name basis_ with you, but he was _the_ Akira from the phone call
  * Joker could suddenly sense a huge spike in a hostile aura emitted by the purple-haired titan
  * Murasakibara suddenly pulled your arm into his chest and wrapped your waist from behind, all while glaring at the ravenette
  * “ _(y/n)-chin is **mine**_.”
  * there was a collective silence before everyone started shouting in disbelief
  * “ _I didn’t know you dated anyone, (y/n)!!_ ” “That’s _sooo_ cute!!” “ _How long were you with him?_ ” “What a wonderful thing to experience, (y/n)-chan!” “ _Mwehe_ , got any dirt on (y/n)?”
  * Joker just gives a smirk to the two of you, which you knew he meant that he was gonna make some comments and jokes on your relationship from this point on
  * _No wonder you couldn’t come everyday to do a palace run._
  * “Ugh, seriously?? How the hell did (y/n) find someone before all of us? I mean, I thought being a Phantom Thief would’ve made me more noticeable to girls **—** ”
  * “ _Ryuji!!_ ”
  * “Oh… uh **—** ”
  * everyone in the PT gang turned to Murasakibara to gauge his reaction:
  * he just had figurative question marks and clouds floating over his head as he continued to embrace you from behind
  * “Fan… tom… Thief?” (you inwardly sighed in relief and amusement at his reaction)
  * “It’s a group activity we have to do often,” you hurriedly explained. “Like… D&D role-playing gaming, and plus we all do it together after we finish doing barista work… together, but it’s kind of… embarrassing, so that’s why we’re all doing this rather secretively. So… could you keep this to yourself too?”
  * “O-kay.”
  * “Yeah, so sorry again, Atsu, but could you leave me to my own devices for the evening again?...”
  * “No, I don’t want to,” he replied, squeezing you even harder with his arms as if _daring_ you to try to escape from him, and you shot glances at your team members to help you out (they looked at you as if this was all yours to deal with)
  * “ _Atsuuu_ ,” you turned to face him while still being in his arms. “Other than this group activity, you’re still my number one priority, you know?” and you tippy-toed up to his face to give him a sweet peck on his lips 
  * ~~choruses of fangirling and groaning ring out again~~
  * “I guess I’ll leave you be, (y/n)-chin,” Murasakibara said indifferently, but you spied a small smile on his lips
  * being relieved that you weren’t going behind his back to see someone was an _understatement_ ; in fact, he was giddy that you were so forward with him in front of a large group of your friends
  * true to his word, Murasakibara never mentions a peep of the “Phantom Thieves” again to anyone (other than with you sometimes when you two are alone)
  * although he merely thought it was just a type of extracurricular/club activity of some sorts, he _did_ ask Himuro (and a nearby nosy Fukui) if they knew what the “Phantom Thieves” were
  * “I’m surprised you only heard about them now,” Himuro replied. “There’s tons of popular merch of them and everyone is so hyped up that they’re pretending to be the Phantom Thieves themselves and trying to hand out ‘calling cards’ to other students.”
  * Fukui popped up in hearing the “Phantom Thieves” with a collection of calling cards of his own and bragging about how he had to go through extensive means to obtain the “limited edition” card
  * _so you were just fans of these famed superheroes and role playing it with your other friends?_ he guess it could be embarrassing for you enough to try to hide this from him
  * Mura always walks you to Leblanc and then leaves home for the day, but sometimes, Sojiro invites him in (when nobody is doing PT business) for good plate of curry and soba 
  * Murasakibara _loves_ the old man and his cooking
  * he’s grown somewhat close to your PT friends, particularly Ann, Makoto, and Haru; Ann has a massive sweet tooth like Mura, so she would often give him extra sweets she bought from a dessert shop, meanwhile Makoto and Haru are like mother-figures (strict and doting, respectively) to him (sort of like Akashi and Himuro)
  * if you didn’t give into his whining for a particular something, he’d turn to Makoto or Haru to try to persuade you in giving in (may or may not work)
  * he’d probably will not think much of the “PT” business for the **longest** time, even when the Okumura news break out, because he doesn’t think they’re real to begin with (oh, he would believe the murder is real, but the perpetrator being the “PT” he thinks would be the media over-exagerrating and just giving any anonymous killer at large the term, “PT”)
  * as long as he wasn’t directly affected, he’s not someone to worry about the needless things
  * when things were getting dire for the PT, you actually isolated yourself from Murasakibara as well as the Yosen basketball team, not because you hate them, but because you didn’t want to drag them into legal matters with the police by association with you
  * you cursed yourself for being careless and letting your boyfriend hang out with the PT because someone’s _bound_ to see a giant kid lurking in and around Leblanc at least once
  * Murasakibara thought he did something wrong and would tried to get your attention, but every time he did, you would expertly avoid him
  * he even left so many snacks at your desk hoping for you to accept them :((
  * one day, you finally went up to Murasakibara when you were absolutely sure you were alone with him, and before he could say your name and be elated that you were in front of him again, you coldly said:
  * “ **I want to break up**.”
  * the usually apathetic guy would widen his eyes in complete shock and fear; _the first thing you said after not talking to him in weeks were… that?_
  * “(y/n)-chin… why? (y/n)-chin! Talk to me...” 
  * _It was for the best… you never wanted to ruin his future and his basketball career just by being near you_
  * you feigned indifference and tried turning around to walk away from him, struggling to keep your face from being tear-stricken
  * “(y/n)-chin!” Murasakibara released a bellow you never heard unless he was playing aggressively on the courts, before he forcefully tug your arm to spin you around
  * there you were, failing to keep your true feelings hidden as you started sniffling and then full blown sobbing the longer your boyfriend stared at your face in full worry 
  * “Here…” he pressed your face into his shirt as he hoisted you up from your knees, and he walked home with your legs around his waist, crying your eyes out from the stress and fears you’ve felt haunted by lately (“Stop crying, (y/n)-chin, it’s annoying” he would say as he rubbed your back)
  * as soon as he puts you down on a coach in his living room, you knew he meant business when he had a serious look on his face that meant “Talk now.”
  * you bit your lip in apprehension and in seeing that, Mura grabbed a few snacks from the cabinets for you before settling next to you again
  * and you confessed the entire truth to him, sniffling and hiccuping as you struggled to enunciate your words while stuffing your face with cream biscuits
  * “Is that all?...” Mura tilted his head. “You obviously didn’t kill him, so why are you worried?” he munched on his next package
  * “Atsu, it’s not that simple, you **—** ”
  * “I know, I know.” he ruffled your hair before pulling you close
  * “Just stop crying,” he mumbled into your head
  * and you felt safe for the first time in a couple of weeks
  * _the Phantom Thieves will overcome this, definitely._
  * “Don’t break up with me, (y/n)-chin,” he said out of nowhere, pouting and sulking at your figure
  * you busted a huge laugh, the very sound he missed hearing from you for so long
  * “I wouldn’t dare, Atsu.”
  * bonus: sometime in the future, you brought over an overly-curious Murasakibara to mementos with everyone, and there, he finally hears Morgana speaking for the first time. Afterwards, he’s best friends with the cat, taking him everywhere he went whenever he did errands or snack-shopping and ignoring the questioning gazes from strangers as he talked to the said cat like it was a normal thing. Both love to eat sashimi together.




End file.
